


Baggage

by TakingOverMidnight3482



Series: Think Outside the Love Square [11]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakingOverMidnight3482/pseuds/TakingOverMidnight3482
Summary: “Chloe?” Rena managed, straightening. “What are you doing?”Chloe’s grip tightened on the bag she had slung around her shoulder. “None of your business, Foxy.”“It’s one in the morning and you’re out at night in a week where we’ve had the most akuma attacks Paris has ever seen at once,” Rena said with a roll of her eyes. “So yeah, it kind of is."





	Baggage

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while back and then forgot about it, whoops. 
> 
> I really do think that if Chloe just...admitted what she was feeling, genuinely, Alya might be able to reconcile with her. (I really just want Chloe to have more of a redemption bc she's fucking trying)

The moment Ladybug had asked if Alya had wanted to help her and Chat on patrol that night, Alya had instantly agreed. It was rare that she got the opportunity to help them out anymore, but she supposed, given the weird amounts of akumas they’d been having that week, the heroes wanted to be vigilant.

They’d assigned her a sector of Paris, given her their own locations, and the three of them had split up from the Eiffel Tower. Alya’s sector happened to fall around the Bourgeois hotel, so she was stationing herself on it’s roof to keep a close eye on the surrounding neighborhood. Especially with Chloe so nearby, Alya wanted to keep a sharp lookout.

A door shut below her. It was nearing one in the morning, so for someone to be out in one of the less Night-Life parts of town (and don’t think she didn’t know that Chat and Ladybug had given her the quietest part of Paris) was concerning. Alya leaned out over the edge of the roof, her tail flicking for balance behind her, and spotted a lone figure leaving the hotel and crossing the street.

She frowned and climbed up on the roof, jumping from the edge and slipping down the side of the building via the window ledges. Her heels clicked lightly on the pavement as she landed and the figure spun.

“Chloe?” Rena managed, straightening. “What are you doing?”

Chloe’s grip tightened on the bag she had slung around her shoulder. “None of your business, Foxy.”

“It’s one in the morning and you’re out at night in a week where we’ve had the most akuma attacks Paris has ever seen at once,” Rena said with a roll of her eyes. “So yeah, it kind of is. Posh hotel not enough to entertain you tonight?”

Chloe’s body stiffened and she backed away. Her jaw was tight, and as she backed under a streetlight, Rena could make out the faint streak of tear marks on her face. In spite of everything, her heart clenched. “Fuck off.”

“Wait, wait,” Rena stammered, lurching forward and grabbing Chloe’s shoulder before she could fully turn away. “I’m sorry. That was rude. Are…are you okay? Is there an akuma or something in there?”

Chloe scoffed. “Not every problem in this city is caused by an akuma, you know.”

Rena wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Right. Right. Um…can I ask where you’re going? Maybe I could walk you there?”

“Please,” Chloe said with a roll of her eyes, though there was no heat behind it. “I’m Queen Bee, I can handle myself.”

The quiver of her chin said otherwise, and Rena hesitated. “I…I know you don’t…know me? But if you need to-”

“Well you sure as hell obviously know me,” Chloe snapped, pulling out from under her hand. “Less than thirty seconds into seeing me, and you’re already being a bitch. Just…go away. Bother someone else. I don’t care. I have my bag, it’s packed, I’ll just be on my way.”

Rena bit back the instant, snappy retort that popped onto her tongue. It wouldn’t help, she knew that. Chloe was lashing out because she was upset. Rather than speak, she let Chloe turn to walk away. The moment her back turned, Rena started following, keeping just behind her.

Chloe’s shoulders tightened but she didn’t comment, merely kept quiet. They walked like that for a few minutes before Chloe finally sighed and fell back alongside Rena, her head ducked. Another few minutes, and then Chloe took a breath.

“My daddy and I were supposed to do a movie night tonight. Every Friday since Mom left. We stay up super late, eat popcorn, stuff like that. Except lately he’s…he’s been forgetting about it. And it wouldn’t be a huge deal except he also forgot about the luncheon last week, and the school project the week before, and…and a lot of other stuff.”

She pursed her lips, falling silent again, and Rena stayed quiet. “And I know he’s busy, he’s the mayor,” the girl laughed, bitter, “but I’m his daughter, and…and it feels like he’s getting tired of that? I don’t know. So I’m just…going somewhere. I thought about going to Adriki- Adrien’s house, but his father…” She trailed off, her face growing sour, but pushed on like it hurt her to say it. “His father hates me. He’s never said it but I know he does.”

Their footsteps were quiet. A car buzzed past, a tired barista travelling home from a late shift. Chloe shifted her bag. “So…so go ahead and laugh or whatever. A whole superhero who gets depressed when her daddy can’t watch a stupid Disney movie with her.”

Her voice cracked and Rena turned, putting herself in Chloe’s path. “It’s not stupid,” she protested, softening at the gathering tears in Chloe’s eyes. “It was important to you, and he blew you off. You’re allowed to be upset about that.”

Chloe sniffed, dragging a hand under her eyes. “Yeah, well…maybe I deserve it. I’m not exactly the nicest person in the world.”

“No,” Rena acknowledged, keeping her voice gentle. “You’re not. But that doesn’t mean you deserve to be ignored. You’ve…you’ve done some nice things, too. Helping Ladybug and Chat and the rest of us on Hero’s Day…”

She trailed off, and Chloe snorted. “Right. Right, big whoop. I did one good thing with my life, right after I screwed everything up with my…my arrogance.”

Rena grabbed her shoulders and squeezed. “Hey. You recognize that. That’s what’s important. You’ve changed, a lot, Chloe. And I’m the last person I ever thought would be admitting that. It took me such a long time to see you as anything but a selfish brat, but I…I was wrong.”

“No you weren’t,” Chloe said. Her cheeks were red, and she was avoiding Rena’s gaze. “You were right. You’re a superhero, but you’re actually good. A good person, you’re walking me to nowhere because you felt sorry for me, you’re comforting me and I don’t even deserve it. You’re actually good, and I’m just…I’m trying, but I don’t think I’ll ever make up for any of what I did.”

Rena was frozen in place, eyes wide, and Chloe flinched. “I…sorry. That…I didn’t mean to say all that. I’ll go home now, you can just-”

“Let's rest.”

The de-transformation sequence washed over her and Chloe’s jaw slid a little looser. Alya managed a smile. “I’m not a good person. I get jealous when people fawn over my boyfriend, I’ve cheated on homework, and I constantly make Ladybug and Chat Noir dive in to protect me because I can’t keep my nose out of their fights. I’m not a good person, Chloe, but I…I try to be. And I can tell – we can all tell – that you’re trying to be. And I’m sorry. For everything I’ve ever said to you that…that hurt you in some way. And I just didn’t think it would, because I thought I was better than you. I’m not.”

Chloe stared for another beat before her lip trembled. “I’m sorry too,” she murmured. “You were new and I was just…a jerk. I’ve always been, but…but to you especially. And Marinette, but…I don’t know. Thank you.”

Alya squeezed her shoulders and nodded back to the hotel. “Come on. It’s late, and you need to go home. I’m sure your dad is worried about you.”

Chloe snorted, rolling her tear-filled eyes. “Yeah right. He probably hasn’t even noticed I left.”

“Trixx, let’s pounce.”

~~

When Rena returned Chloe to the hotel, her father was in tears, thanking the hero profusely. As she turned to go, Chloe grabbed her by the wrist, gentle, and pulled her back. “I won’t…tell,” she said, soft. Emphatic. “I promise.”

Rena smiled and tilted her head. “I know. Goodnight, Chloe.”

“Goodnight, Rena.”

**Author's Note:**

> I can't remember if Alya uses a specific phrase to de-transform and watching the episodes she's in proved fruitless so oh well.
> 
> Edit: Thank you inko!


End file.
